


Fourth Day Morning

by NB_Cecil



Series: Doctors and Lizards [17]
Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: A bit of worldbuilding about Cardassian gelata house culture, Book: Enigma Tales (Star Trek), Canon Disabled Character, Cardassian flirting, Cuddling, Disabled Julian Bashir, Disabled!Julian, Doctors and Lizards Triad, Domestic Fluff, Fixing Canon, Fluff, Lazy Mornings, M/M, Morning Cuddles, Morning Rituals, Morning Routines, Multi, OT3, POV Kelas Parmak, Polyam Triad, Polyamory, Post-Canon Cardassia, Post-Enigma Tales, Sleepy Cuddles, The Happy Lizards and Doctors Polyam Household We Deserve
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-21
Updated: 2018-12-21
Packaged: 2019-09-24 04:48:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17094209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NB_Cecil/pseuds/NB_Cecil
Summary: On Parmak’s day off Julian fetches gelat from the nearby gelata house. Sleepy OT3 fluff and bickering.





	Fourth Day Morning

Kelas becomes slowly aware of a cool weight pressed against his back. He pulls the duvet tighter around himself and sighs, savouring the luxury of slowly drifting awake. Elim stirs and throws an arm over him, pulling him tight against his chest.

“Morning love.” Kelas twists round to smile sleepily at the other Cardassian.

Elim gently pushes a stray hank of hair which has escaped Kelas’ plait during the night out of his face and kisses his brow ridge.

“Has he gone already?” Elim asks, eyeing the empty space in the bed on Kelas’ other side. 

“It looks that way.” Kelas replies, nuzzling into Elim’s neck, his lips grazing the scales of Elim’s ridges.

They doze.

——

Kelas is uncertain how much time has passed when he awakes again to a sharp, bitter smell and a soft electrical whirring. He rolls out of Elim’s embrace and cracks open one eye to watch as Julian sets three insulated mugs on the bedside table before transferring from his hoverchair to the bed. 

“You’re awake.” Julian observes, nudging Kelas’ shoulder and settling back on the pillows. Kelas reluctantly hauls himself up into a half-sitting position.

“And you have gelat.” Kelas nods pointedly at the mugs.

Julian hands over a battered mug. Kelas removes the lid, careful not to spill on the sheets, and takes a long swallow of steaming bitter-sweet liquid. Julian sips from his own mug while on Kelas’ other side Elim snores softly. 

Every adult Cardassian owns at least one gelat mug and rarely leaves their home without it attached by a carabiner or length of string to their bag or the loop of fabric worked for the purpose into the waistband of Cardassian clothing. The Garak-Parmak-Bashir household has a cupboard-full of them, although they each have their favourites. 

Kelas’ was a gift from a neighbour. When it was new he could see his face distorted in the metallic blue coating. Now, most of the coating has flaked away exposing dull grey metal underneath and the plastic handle has long since snapped off and been lost. It survived the war, the Fire and the harsh years afterwards; his neighbour was not so fortunate.

Kelas bought the mug Julian sips from back from a trip to Lakarian City last year. Its brushed steel surface bears—incongruously—an engraving of a Tarkalean teaflower. The barista at the gelata house Julian makes his morning run to each Fourth Day shakes her head and smiles every time he hands it over.

“How’s Sleeping Beauty?” Julian asks.

“He was awake for a bit.” Kelas smiles fondly down at Elim and runs his fingers through his hair. Elim mumbles and shifts as he dozes. “Hey,” Kelas continues to stroke his hair, “Your gelat will get cold.”

“Lies,” Elim grumbles, “Mug’s insulated.”

Julian laughs and leans over Kelas to shake Elim’s shoulder. 

“I didn’t get up extra early to go out and get you gelat only for you to let it go cold.” He scolds.

“It’s _insulated_.” Elim repeats, but, knowing he’s beaten, sits up and rubs his eyes. “Pass it over.”

Kelas smirks into his mug; they have the exact same exchange about the gelat getting cold every time Kelas’ day off—Fourth Day—rolls around and they indulge in their weekly gelat ritual.

Elim’s mug is sleek black plastic, the mug and handle all moulded in one piece. It bears the emblem of the Cardassian Union, as befits the Castellan, which he was until his retirement two years ago. There are several identical mugs in the cupboard. Elim keeps these and various other State-branded household items as mementos.

Elim leans against Kelas’ side and opens the lid.

“See? Still hot.” He blows theatrically into his gelat.

Kelas catches Julian rolling his eyes in the corner of his vision. He chuckles and kisses first Elim’s and then Julian’s cheeks. 

_Fourth Day mornings are the best mornings._ He thinks, grinning to himself.

They finish their gelat in companionable silence.

**Author's Note:**

> In my headcanon Cardassian weeks are 10 days long; Kelas works at his clinic seven days on/three days off and gets Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Days as his weekend.


End file.
